Hyrdrocarbon combustion produces organic peroxy radicals (RO2) which then react with NO to form NO2 or organic nitrates (RONO2). Past research has shown that the presence or water vapor perturbs the product branching ratio for the reaction of HO2 with NO, enhancing the formation of organic nitrate. In order to test the effect of water vapor on other organic peroxy radical branching ratios, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) was used to detect the presence of NO2 in a reaction cell. The excited state of NO2 has a long lifetime, allowing for significant quenching. Extensive static experiments were performed to gain a full understanding of the effects of pressure and the concentration of quenchers (N2, O2, H2O) on the detection limits of NO2 using LIF. Through testing, we have determined that under the conditions necessary for this study, the detection limits of 50 ppb can be reached.

Laser-induced fluorescence detection of NO2

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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